Posted on 02/10/2007 1:56:31 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
Regular readers know I'm not in the habit of choosing unflattering screencaps, but sometimes devotion to accurately portraying the tenor of an event demands it. Which it does in spades in conveying the vituperation unleashed in an exchange between Dem strategist Julie Roginsky and GOP strategist Brad Blakeman on MSNBC today, in the course of debating the Edwards blogger brouhaha.
Words don't come close to doing justice to the Roginksy vitriol. I urge you to view the video here.
Roginsky began the conversation by asserting that Edwards did the right thing in retaining the two bloggers with a history of making outrageous anti-Catholic statements, as detailed here. She called it a "pragmatic political decision."
Blakeman took animated issue: "I am absolutely flabbergasted that Julie can sit there and say that Edwards did the right thing," saying that Edwards made a "terrible judgment call" and "should have canned these people immediately."
MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski, daughter of Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor Zbigniew, tried to switch the focus to a Republican, claiming that "John McCain has picked up a few controversial characters along the way himself. Patrick Hynes, a blogger, who took criticism . . ."
Given the partisan nature of the shot, Blakeman -- in a different studio -- understandably assumed that it was Roginsky who had made the comment, and responded:
"Did you hear what I said, Julie? Anyone who has a history, Republican or Democrat, of making inflammatory statements like the ones like Edwards' bloggers did should be canned."
That's when Roginsky began to unleash on Blakeman:
"So McCain should can, McCain should can his blogger?" She wouldn't let Blakeman reply, again repeating: "should McCain can his blogger?"
Roginsky, in full prosecuting attorney flight: "Yes? Is that a 'yes,' Brad? You can't come out and say McCain . . ."
When Blakeman finally managed to work in edgewise that he didn't know the specifics of the McCain case, Roginsky riposted: "Well let me tell you. McCain hired a blogger who made inflammatory, racist statements. Yet John McCain keeps him on. Now you can sit there and spin all you want."
Roginsky's machine-gun interrogation continued at length. When Blakeman finally said he couldn't take Roginsky's word for the facts and that the story hadn't made the press, she shot at him:
"It has made the press. It made the New York Times two days ago, Brad. You should read the New York Times more closely."
Blakeman: "I don't believe everything that's in the New York Times, Julie -- that's for damn sure."
A sneering Roginsky: "You know what? Then I guess you don't believe in anything that doesn't agree exactly with your Republican talking points. But this was in a paper of record, Brad. You should read it."
As NewsBuster and NY Times watcher par excellence Clay Waters has documented, comparing McCain blogger Patrick Hynes to the Edwards bloggers is apples-and-oranges. Hynes' great offense is having once, before coming onboard with McCain, described the US as a Christian nation, and on another occasion having invited readers to suggest nicknames for Henry Waxman. Compare and contrast with the vile stuff spewed by the Edwards bloggers.
Pity the poor guy on the receiving end of a Roginsky diatribe. Still, hard not to get a kick out of her abiding faith in the New York Times as a "paper of record.'
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
I'd rather watch hockey than that crackhead Edwards.
Food-fight-over-Edwards-bloggers ping to Today show list. Video is absolutely must-see -- trust me.
I'd rather watch a hockey player crack Edwards over the head.
"I don't believe everything that's in the New York Times, Julie -- that's for damn sure."
Ditto that.
I know Julie must use talking points... but need she be so obvious about it?
I love it!
Very smarmy and snotty woman, whoever she is.
(snort)
A 'paper of record' is a legal paper like an affidavit or minutes of a courtroom proceeding.
The New York Times is a publication.
Roginsky probably thinks her TP is a paper of record...... What a putz!
News was that Edwards fired the guys. Then the rehired them and reprimanded them. Them fired them again.
[Maybe they should just issue an apology and be sent to rehab for a couple of weeks.]
I can't encourage people enough to view the video clip. Roginsky's disdainful cross-exam on Blakeman is breathtaking!
I can't bear to watch GOP/democrat (yes, this Republic woman DID say democrat) debates on TV anymore - too much screaming and hollering.
I do like the fact that he told her he didn't believe anything in the so-called "paper of record" though!!!
It's illustrative how people can get caught up in their own arguments to the point of absolute contradiction. She thinks Edward's blogger did the right thing, so therefore one would think in her book, McCain's blogger should be Ok. But she flies into a rage and in the heat of the moment demands that the other guy should condemn McCain and his blogger.
And of course, she's supposedlly doing this for the benefit of the audience. Her own mind is made up. She just wants to convince the world to vote Democratic by throwing bombs over this tiny, inconsequential piece of trivia.
I'm hitting the TV's off button quite frequently these days.
Aw, go ahead and watch. Not much more violent than an average session of Grand Theft Auto II ;-)
That woman is a child and a brat at that. It's all about tit for tat for her.
Did I forget to mention the whole thing is absolutely pointless? Why would anyone want to line up on either side of this silly debate? To cheer-on either side is to participate in the attempted manipulation of the public mind. "Hey, we're better manipulators than you are, and to heck about what's good for the taxpayer." Just bamboozle them with our slant and hope they'll believe it, so we can retain or obtain power.
By the way, the guy on "our side" handled himself very well. I wish there were more like him.
calling the US as a Christian nation and saying that Waxman has a big nose is racist??
She looked like she was ready to snap on him
The hatred was just dripping from her
Funny, all I could catch before finally tuning in to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am was:
ALL OBAMA ALL THE TIME!!!!!
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